context-gather

name	context-gather
version	1.0.0
description	Gather comprehensive context from Forgetful Memory, Context7 docs, DeepWiki, and web sources before planning or implementation. Follows the exploring-knowledge-graph skill to search across all knowledge tiers and returns a focused summary with a parseable CONTEXT_LOADED marker for downstream skip detection. Use when you say "gather context before planning", "what do we know before I start". Do NOT use for compressing or placing skill text (use context-optimizer).
license	MIT

Context Gather

Collect multi-source context before planning or implementation. Searches Forgetful Memory, Serena, Context7, DeepWiki, and web sources, then returns a focused summary that downstream commands can detect and skip redundant fetches.

Model choice (behavior change from prior /context-gather slash command): this skill declares model: claude-sonnet-4-6, downgraded from the slash command's opus. Context retrieval is search-and-synthesis work, not deep reasoning; the cost-appropriate tier per ADR-002 model selection is sonnet. Skill behavior is otherwise unchanged.

Triggers

Phrase	Context
gather context for	User requests pre-work context collection
context-gather	Direct skill invocation or programmatic call from build, plan, research commands (SPEC-005)
what do we know about	Exploratory context retrieval

Quick Reference

Field	Value
Input	Task description or technology topic (free text)
Output	Focused summary with code snippets, architectural insights, and CONTEXT_LOADED: <topic> marker
Quality Gate	Summary addresses the stated topic; at least one queried tier reconciled (short-circuit and early-stop exempt); marker line present

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Starting a complex task that needs multi-source context before planning or implementation.
• A lifecycle command (/build, /plan, /research) triggers preflight context loading.
• You need to pull framework-specific guidance from Context7 alongside project memory.
• Exploring what the knowledge graph knows about a topic before committing to an approach.

When to Skip

Skip this skill when:

• A CONTEXT_LOADED: <topic> marker for the same topic already exists in the current conversation. Do not re-fetch.
• The task is trivial and single-step (no external context needed).
• You already have sufficient context from a prior skill invocation or manual research.
• The topic is purely internal to the current file (no cross-cutting concerns).

Process

Phase 1: Check for Prior Invocation

1. Scan the current conversation for an existing CONTEXT_LOADED: marker line.
2. If a marker exists whose topic matches the current request, report "Context already loaded for " and stop. Do not re-fetch.

Phase 2: Search Across Knowledge Tiers

Follow the exploring-knowledge-graph skill for the five-source strategy, the untrusted-content guard, and the synthesis and citation discipline (see its references/context-retrieval.md).

1. Search the following tiers, in parallel where possible:
   • Forgetful Memory: Search across ALL projects for relevant patterns, decisions, and code artifacts.
   • Serena Memory: Read linked entities, observations, and relations for the topic.
   • Context7: Query framework-specific documentation if the topic involves a known library or SDK.
   • DeepWiki: Read repository-level documentation for relevant GitHub repos.
   • Web Search: Fall back to web sources only when memory and docs are insufficient.
2. Stop early once the queried tiers give sufficient coverage for the request.
3. For each tier actually queried, emit a marker line:

TIER_QUERIED: <tier>

Where <tier> is one of: forgetful, serena, context7, deepwiki, web. Emit one TIER_QUERIED: line per tier actually queried.

Phase 3: Synthesize, Emit Marker, and Return

1. Combine findings into a focused summary. Include:
   • Relevant code snippets and file paths.
   • Architectural insights and ADR references.
   • Framework-specific guidance (if applicable).
   • Gaps or unknowns that remain.
2. Emit the marker line at the end of the summary output:

CONTEXT_LOADED: <topic>

Where <topic> is a short, normalized label for the subject (e.g., pytest-fixtures, session-protocol, react-server-components).

3. Return the summary and marker to the calling command or user. Downstream callers (/build, /plan, /research per SPEC-005) detect the marker and skip redundant context fetches.

Extension Points

1. Additional knowledge tiers: new MCP servers (e.g., a future code-search server) slot into Phase 2 without changing the skill structure.
2. Marker protocol: the CONTEXT_LOADED: format can be extended with metadata (e.g., CONTEXT_LOADED: <topic> [tier=serena,context7]) to convey which sources were queried.

Tools

This skill searches the knowledge tiers using:

• mcp__forgetful__execute_forgetful_tool
• mcp__serena__read_memory, mcp__serena__list_memories
• mcp__context7__resolve-library-id, mcp__context7__get-library-docs
• mcp__deepwiki__read_wiki_structure, mcp__deepwiki__read_wiki_contents, mcp__deepwiki__ask_question
• WebSearch, WebFetch

Anti-Patterns

Avoid	Why	Instead
Re-fetching when marker exists	Wastes tokens and time; duplicates context	Check for CONTEXT_LOADED: marker first
Querying all sources sequentially	Slow; unnecessary when early sources suffice	Query in parallel; stop early if coverage is sufficient
Returning raw tool output	Floods context window; not actionable	Synthesize into a focused summary with citations
Skipping the marker emission	Downstream commands cannot detect prior invocation	Always emit CONTEXT_LOADED: <topic> at the end
Using opus model for retrieval	Context gathering is search and synthesis, not deep reasoning	Use sonnet (cost-appropriate)

Verification

After execution, confirm:

• Reconciliation (fetch path only): grep -c '^TIER_QUERIED:' <output> >= 1, with one TIER_QUERIED: <tier> line per source actually queried. Exempt when the skill short-circuited on a prior CONTEXT_LOADED: marker (no tiers queried) or early-stopped after one source gave sufficient coverage.
• Summary addresses the stated topic with specific findings, not generic advice.
• CONTEXT_LOADED: <topic> marker line is present at the end of output.
• No raw tool output was returned; findings are synthesized.
• If a prior marker existed for the same topic, the skill short-circuited without re-fetching.

References

Artifact	Relationship
SPEC-005 REQ-005	Acceptance criteria AC-12 defines runtime-conditional skip via CONTEXT_LOADED: marker
SPEC-005 DESIGN-005	Per-command edit specs reference context-gather as preflight dependency
.claude/skills/reflect/SKILL.md	Downstream consumer that may benefit from context loaded in this skill
.claude/skills/steering-matcher/SKILL.md	Sibling preflight skill in the /build chain
.claude/skills/chestertons-fence/SKILL.md	Sibling preflight skill in the /build chain